Religious Scholar

I will be reading from and signing my books on the Taoist internal alchemy and the mysticism of Meister Eckhart from noon to 2 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 27, 2007, in Classic Books at 117 Warren St., Trenton, N.J.  If time permits, I will also read from my article, "Chinese Memories: Reflections of a Western Taoist," which appeared in the latest edition of the magazine, The Empty Vessel.

The bookshop is across the street from the popular coffeehouse, Cafe Ole, in the historic district of Old Trenton, just two blocks from the Old Barracks of Revolutionary War fame. All sincerely interested persons are invited to attend. There will be plenty of parking on the street, and the opportunity to buy these and other volumes from the wonderful selection maintained by Classic Books at unbelievably low prices. Hope to see you on the 27th! Linda Holt

Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.*

Sydney Carter’s lyrical hymn, The Lord of the Dance, resonates with the traditions of many world religions regarding the nexus of spirituality and motion. Shiva Nataraj is the dancing form of one of the persons of Hinduism’s Trinity. The Mitzvah Tantz is a mystical ritual of Hasidic Judaism, while Mevlevi Muslims express union with the divine in the famous dance of the whirling dervishes. The Sioux Ghost Dance, the dances of African-American Pentecostal churches, Tibetan sacred dance—these and many other forms throughout the world express a connection between spirituality and the art of movement.

Dance may be used as a formal part of liturgical worship; as a prayer; an expression of the dancer’s or community’s spirituality; a tool to know God. In the 1970s, with the publication of mass-market books such as The Dancing Wu Li Masters and The Tao of Physics, it became popular to speak of the entire cosmos as a dance or process rather than a thing or object. Spiritual dance reflects harmony with the processes of nature seen in galaxies and subatomic physics, in patterns of bird migration and the flutter of a hydra’s tentacles. When performed alone, in a group, or witnessed rather than performed, dance connects the believer to an Idea that permeates all nature and reaches out and into the unseen.

What is observed in spiritual dance is only part of the picture. The dancer and believing witnesses know that dizziness and other biological phenomena are only a small part of the out-of-body experience that this bodily activity creates. Dance immerses us in the rhythms and cycles of life. At the same time, it releases us from them into the deep field of mystical knowledge. Evelyn Underhill wrote that mysticism is the art of union with reality. How reassuring to know that, throughout all time and cultures, those who value knowledge and understanding actively celebrate union with reality through the Lord of the Dance.

* Copyright 1963 Stainer & Bell Ltd. London, England

Photos of the slow, tango-like dance of these graceful birds were taken from across a lake with a hand-held Nikon F2 and a 300mm lens.

We really are busy, restless creatures. Bodies always in movement, brains constantly generating new ideas in an ever-shifting database of thoughts, information and images. Even in sleep, the human machine is hard at work, the individual mind races, creates, reflects.

And that is as it should be. Life is protean: a process not a thing. Out of the mind’s questioning turbulence come solutions, from the mundane (“Let's go out for dinner") to the sublime (“An Ode to Joy: yes!”). We need our restless lives, but the world’s spiritual traditions tell us we need something more: a calm center to nourish new ideas and to restore and connect us to each other and to the very Source of all existence.

Every major religion has practices that encourage periods of stillness, of listening. These include practicing the presence of God, yoga, tai chi, meditation, wordless prayer, contemplation of nature. These aren’t intended to turn us into fence-posts or automatons. They help us break through the mental clutter and get to the core of things.

Just as we can’t grasp another person’s point of view if we are wrapped up in ourselves and our own arguments, so we can’t figure out what’s going on in our minds and in the world at large without stopping the noise and listening with alert attention. Regular periods of stillness help us open up, see, comprehend. Then we’re ready to return to the fray with more energy, understanding and wisdom.

There’s an eye in the storm, and time-tested spiritual practices can help us find it.

A few years ago, I taught World Religions to a large class at Rider University. The first in-class assignment was for students to write a short description of their religious backgrounds and what they believed or were interested in (from a spiritual perspective) at the moment. As the class unfolded over the next 14 weeks, I took into consideration their families’ belief systems and their own interests and quests as material on world religions was presented.

During the semester, it became clear that many—perhaps even most—of the students viewed the variety of world religions as a kind of spiritual smorgasbord. As guest lecturers appeared, some of the students would be persuaded to take a new look at, say, Conservative Judaism or would eagerly line up for a free copy of the Qu’ran. During presentations on religions that were not mainstream, a student might speak warmly of Paganism one week and mystical Christianity the next.

When students described their own journeys, elements of Zen and New Age were fluidly mixed with the “faith of their fathers” and new ideas raised in class drew an appreciative “Aha!” Old prejudices fell by the wayside, and we did not employ judgmental words like “cult,” although we had a presentation on the dangers of mind control and I did admonish them to practice “safe sects.”  :-) There was an eagerness and electricity in this class that I had not encountered before in teaching.

While some of the students professed an unshakeable faith in one religion, most were like kids in a candy shop, inspired by ideas and practices they were comfortable incorporating into their own evolving spiritual paths. The important lessons were exposure and openness to new ideas, but also intellectual rigor in assessing their merits and discrimination in distinguishing between the valid and the vapid. At the end of the class, students of all backgrounds expressed their delight in the opportunity to explore other religions in a safe, supportive environment. It was OK to have a single, unchanging faith, but change and diversity were appropriate elements for those whose spiritual journey would take many twists and turns in uncharted waters.

Whether we adhere to what we believe is One True Way or are the spiritual equivalent of Indiana Jones willing to risk desert wastelands and spider pits in our quest for an authentic experience of Truth, there is value in studying the world’s spiritual traditions with an open mind and loving heart. The experience will not shake the convictions of those whose minds are filled with certainty, and will open doors to understanding and spiritual renewal for those who are still finding their way. –Linda Brown Holt